Why is agneepath protest going on?

Protests are for a new military scheme. It gives only four-year jobs. Most soldiers will not get a pension. This makes young people very worried.

Agneepath protests were essentially about job security. Earlier, army jobs were permanent, with pension. Agneepath scheme changed it to short-term contract. Naturally, aspirants who had been studying for army recruitment for 3–4 years were upset.

The Agneepath protest started in India after the government launched the Agneepath Recruitment Scheme for the armed forces in 2022. Under this scheme, youth are recruited for just 4 years, and only 25% are retained permanently. The rest are discharged without pension or long-term benefits. Why protest? - Young aspirants who were preparing for years felt betrayed. - Lack of job security after 4 years. - No pension, no canteen facilities. - Concerns about future employment. That’s why protests erupted in Bihar, UP, Haryana, and other states.

The protests turned violent because lakhs of aspirants suddenly saw their dream of permanent army service vanish. Many trains were set on fire in Bihar as frustration boiled over.

From government’s side, they say Agneepath will bring down average age of army, reduce pension burden, and create a more youthful force. But aspirants worry about being jobless after 4 years. That’s the conflict.

I personally think protests were avoidable if government had done better communication. They should have explained benefits clearly (like priority in CAPF, police jobs, etc.). Instead, aspirants assumed worst and reacted strongly.